The delayed weapons include dozens of Patriot and NASAMS interceptors, which can defend against Russian missiles, as well as missiles for F-16 fighter jets.
Shipments of thousands of 155mm high-explosive howitzer munitions, over 100 Hellfire missiles, over 250 precision-guided missile systems known as GMLRS, and dozens of Stinger surface-to-air missiles and grenade launchers have also been halted. This includes AIM air-to-air missiles for which Ukrainian Buk air defense systems were adapted under the FrankenSAM project.
The munitions were approved as part of the Presidential Drawdown Authority and Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative packages during the Biden administration.
Kyiv has repeatedly appealed for additional U.S. and European air defense weaponry to counter Russia’s massive combined drone and missile air raids in recent months. Over the weekend, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that Russia had launched the largest aerial attack on the country since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022, firing 60 missiles and 477 drones.
This follows an earlier statement by White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly on July 1 that the "decision to halt some weapons shipments was made to put America's interests first following" a Defense Department "review of our nation's military support and assistance to other countries across the globe."
In a separate statement on the same day, Elbridge Colby, the Department of Defense's Under Secretary of Policy, said that the "Department of Defense continues to provide the President with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end. At the same time, the Department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving U.S. forces' readiness for Administration defense priorities."
It is not yet known whether the United States will resume transferring these weapons to Ukraine. Analysts do not rule out the possibility that Washington may stop providing military assistance to Kyiv altogether.
On Feb. 2, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine had received only $76 billion of the $177 billion in aid approved by the United States.
Earlier, on Jan. 15, he said that about 33-34% of the weapons used on the battlefield are produced in Ukraine, more than 30% come from Europe, and 40% are supplied by the United States.